Exam firm paying for rooms at hotel

Monday 21 January 2008 00:07 BST

The US company at the centre of a marking fiasco over tests for 11 to 14 year olds has said it was paying for hotel rooms and facilities at a top hotel where its markers have been staying for the past four weeks.

ETS Europe is paying for rooms, facilities and food at the Hilton Manchester Airport hotel, and at least one other hotel in the UK has also been used by the firm, a spokeswoman confirmed.

The firm is widely expected to be sacked over delays in marking Sats tests taken by schoolchildren across England, which it has been contracted by the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority (QCA) to do. It also faces accusations of poor marking standards.

ETS Europe spokeswoman Kelly Southcott said about six markers were on the panel at the hotel, although the number varied "slightly" from day to day, and a total of 100 markers had been at the hotel during the last four weeks.

There are also about 30 to 35 data entry clerks, whose number again varies from day to day, working three different shifts to put the marked test results online on the Mark Capture System.

The cost of rooms at the Hilton hotel near Manchester Airport starts from £119 a night, according to the company's UK website.

Ms Southcott said: "Some of the markers attend the marking panel to collect scripts, mark them from home and return them.

"Papers are being marked by qualified markers. We cannot comment on the cost of accommodation or on how much employees are paid. All markers are verified through presentation of identification and they have to answer security questions."

Ms Southcott said hotels had been used in the last four weeks and accommodation would have been provided if markers needed it.

Examiners also spoke about the conditions at the marking panel in Manchester, it has been reported. One examiner, a retired teacher, told the Mail On Sunday: "It's a bit of a pressure-cooker atmosphere. We've got to mark at least 60 papers a day. Often we take the papers into our rooms and work into the night."